A group of British black-owned tech start-ups are to take part in a special trade mission to the US in December as part of efforts to tackle a lack of diversity in the industry.
1000 Black Voices, an organisation that works to help eradicate racism through positive change, is partnering with the British Consulate in New York to organise the trip, which is taking place between 5 and 7 December.
It has selected 13 start-ups from its accelerator programme to take part, all of whom will be given opportunities to network and learn more about expanding their businesses in the US while there.
According to 1000 Black Voices, the trade mission will also offer the entrepreneurs the chance to gain expert advice from industry-leading founders, investors, and tech executives on how to scale businesses successfully in the US and globally. There will also be small group sessions, events, and one-to-one meetings in New York to develop relationships with key members of the investor community.
Dr Elizabeth Shaw, founder of 1000 Black Voices, said: “We are delighted to announce the founders participating in the trade mission to New York. 1000 Black Voices is committed to bringing a first-hand understanding of black struggles and a positive, practical approach to overcoming them in today’s world, and our accelerator programme, with this added element of the trade mission, brings our commitment to fruition.
“The founders will hugely benefit from the trade mission experience, including opportunities and connections provided by the British Consulate. This is another key component needed to resolve tech’s diversity issue directly and provide black founders with all the support required to overcome hurdles."
Emma Wade-Smith, trade commissioner to North America and consul general New York at the British Consulate in New York, said: “We are so pleased to partner with 1000 Black Voices on this trade mission. At the British Consulate, we are passionate about and committed to promoting social inclusion and racial equity in all of our work, including in the technology sector.
“Giving the founders on the mission access to knowledge on how to expand into the US market as well as providing them with the connections to do so, is a crucial step towards increasing diversity in the tech sector.”
The businesses selected for the trade mission to New York
Cosmetrics AI: Founded by Ovi King, Cosmetrics AI solves hair problems for frustrated consumers using advanced AI technology to make product recommendations.
Deep Loop: Founded by Sade Amale and Akin Akinwale, Deep Loop is an AI-powered market research platform delivering actionable insights to help brands understand consumers better.
Dropalo: Founded by Jhannon Fanus, Dropalo is a multipurpose, location-based, time-restricted messaging platform designed to connect you with whom and what is around you.
E-DocOnline: Founded by Adam Bisi and Tunde Ogundipe, E-DocOnline is a financial data analytics company that securely provides a user-friendly, structured and analytical report of financial history to decision-makers.
Eganow: Founded by Louis Amenyo Adanuty and Michael Seade, Eganow promotes financial inclusion by providing consumers with access to financial services on their mobile phones.
Pryntd: Founded by Berne Omolafe, Pryntd is a web-3 platform that transforms real-world 2D content and live-streams into immersive experiences for content creators and audiences.
Happaning: Founded by Ando Eniwumide, Ese Eniwumide and Colin Agbabiaka, Happaning is a platform that lets you watch an event from any perspective, at any time and from anywhere in one immersive navigable experience. Think Google street view, but with video.
Ohealth Company: Founded by Temitope Farombi, Ohealth is a telehealth platform increasing access to quality healthcare.
Opto Health: Founded by Warsame Nur, Opto is an intelligent new solution for emergency departments that triages patients to the appropriate care in the most efficient way.
PayInc: Founded by Jones Amegbor, PayInc is an international remittance and cross-border payments company.
Slinger Staff: Founded by Theo Houston, Slinger is the platform that enables gig and frontline workers to find work, progression opportunities and community.
Sorair Technologies: Founded by Kunmi Oludoyi and Adebayo Popoola, Sorair is a distribution-as-a-service model, providing all the infrastructure needed for distribution helping companies build their own logistics systems.
Tech1M: founded by Tommie Edwards. Tech1M is a talent acquisition platform for sourcing, hiring, paying and managing global talent.
